FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/16/2013
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Federal Police Monitor to brief Council on new use of force policies
Seattle - Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committe...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/3/2013
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Council Committee to target Downtown Public Safety
Seattle - Councilmember Bruce Harrell will convene a discussion tomorrow regarding recent public safety incidents in Downtown Sea...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 8/12/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Community Technology Projects Receive $320,000 in Assistance
Grants will help residents gain access to resources to succeed
Seattle - City Council approved $320,000 in matching funds to support twenty-four community technology projects across the city today. The grants will provide technological resources for youth and families, immigrants and refugees, seniors, people with disabilities and job seekers. Specifically, the projects will provide neighborhoods with resources for supporting education, workforce skills, public engagement, community building, after-school homework assistance, digital skills training for social media, audio and video production and basic training in computer and Internet skills.
The projects will assist over 5,000 residents and help to further digital inclusion for Seattleites. More than half (13) of this year's projects are new provider organizations.
The Technology Matching Fund (TMF) program provides grants where the community's contribution of volunteer labor, materials, professional services, or cash is "matched" with the awarding of financial assistance. The Citizens' Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB) recommended these digital inclusion projects to the Mayor and Council through an open competitive application process.
"This is a critical partnership between the City and the community to maximize resources to ensure that all of our residents have the resources to succeed," said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee. "Council has listened to the community each year and added money to maintain the TMF funding at $320,000. This inclusive program reflects the City's commitment to Race and Social Justice by providing resources and technology access to all of our residents."
Antonio Lopez, a young man living in Labateyah, a United Indians Youth Home said, "Having Microsoft Word on the computers will be very helpful to those of us planning to go back school this year -- almost half the youth living at the house."
Tanner Phillips from Neighborhood House said, "to put it simply, TMF funds change people's lives. Technology plays a crucial role in what we do at Rainier Vista to empower people to be self-sufficient. Funds directly support job seekers to find jobs, pay bills and pay for their education. Over time we've seen a lot of good from these funds."
Kiflemariam Sequar from the Eritrean Community in Seattle & Vicinity said, "The computer lab helps all groups come together and contributes to a safe neighborhood. Everything in our life uses technology, whether we like it or not. If we don't use technology we will be falling behind."
2013 Technology Matching Fund Projects: http://www.seattle.gov/tech/tmf/Projects2013.htm
826 Seattle
Technology Upgrade
Provide hardware and software to improve students' literacy, creative processes, and writing and design skills. Students will use computers and the Internet for writing and to learn ways to self-publish through blogs, podcasts and social media websites.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Afrique Service Center
Immigrant & Refugee Community Tech & Literacy
Train and assist low income East African refugees and immigrants to be computer literate, self-sufficient and engaged in their community and in their children's education.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Retail Technology Class
Provide a Retail Technology Class to persons with mental illness. Students will learn iPad Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, computerized cash registers, inventory management, and sales reporting. Students will practice their newly acquired retail skills at Café Hope, their in-house espresso stand.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Awareness and Recovery Institute
Recovery through Journalism
Train 6 to 8 East African youths to observe and report on community events for Runta News. Assist the youth in organizing their own websites, blogs, journalism clubs, and possibly their own youth newspaper.
Type: Civic Engagement
Barton Place Apartments / Seattle Housing Authority
Barton Place Computer Lab
Expand programming in the low income housing computer lab to be open 25 hours/week for 48 weeks, and offering 95 hours of computer classes on various topics in English, Vietnamese and Somali.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Big-Brained Superheroes Club
Yesler Terrace Meets Digital Logic
Teach low income students in Yesler Terrace STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) workshops in digital logic and electronics. Students will build their own circuits and logic gates in a hands-on engineering lab.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Consejo Counseling & Referral Service
Improving Technology Access for South Park Youth
Add new computer equipment to the existing computer lab in South Park. Case managers, counselors or therapists will help Latino youth achieve their goals through improved access to technology.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Crown Hill Neighborhood Association
Technology literacy classes at Labateyah
Provide 50 weeks of on-site computer literacy classes for technology underserved, minority youth at United Indians Youth Home.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
El Centro de la Raza
Senior Computer Literacy and Community Access
Expand Wi-Fi availability throughout El Centro de la Raza's building (including the Senior Program facilities) to increase community access. Train seniors how to safely use the Web, email, Facebook, Skype (and other social media) to improve their overall quality of life.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Eritrean Community in Seattle & Vicinity
Eritrean Community Technology Learning Center
Upgrade outdated computers in the Technology Learning Center and offer basic and professional computer skills and Tigrinya language training (GEEZ) to Eritrean families.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Ethiopian Community in Seattle
Technology Literacy and Access
Add technology to the existing computer resource center and expand educational programming to provide internet based quality after-school, winter, spring and Summer camp programs for Ethiopian youth.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Filipino Community of Seattle
FCS-TMC STEAM Lab
Provide a Robotics and Computer Literacy program targeting low-income, at-risk youth of color grades 8 -12 who have little or no technology or technical skills. The project will establish a STEAM lab (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) at the Filipino Community Center, complete with computer hardware, software, and robotics hardware.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Hollow Earth Radio
Hollow Earth Radio Low Power FM Planning Grant
Help transition from an online-only community music & information broadcast to a Low Power FM (LPFM) station in the Central district. The project will apply to the FCC for a license, upgrade existing studio gear to FM-broadcast quality equipment and engage the community to discuss programming goals.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Horn Of Africa Services
Technology Literacy Project
Empower East African immigrants and refugees by providing open lab time and computer skill training necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning and accessing essential services.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Iu-Mien American Association
Community Enrichment through Technology
Purchase computers to provide low income Laotian families basic technology literacy training, particularly school-aged children, seniors, and those who lack adequate skills or knowledge to be employable.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Jack Straw Foundation
Language and Technology: English Language Learners
Enable English Language Learners at the Seattle World School to increase their English literacy, while learning to use portable and computer-based audio technology. Students will write, perform, and record stories around cultural traditions and community issues
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Low Income Housing Institute
Computer Access for Low Income Residents
Upgrade 6 computer labs located in low income housing buildings and create infrastructure to continue the Computer Technology and Job Search Training Program by building a volunteer database to track volunteers and residents participating in the program.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Neighborhood House
Technology Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Program
Promote economic independence and housing stability among low-income Seattle residents in Rainier Vista and High Point through basic computer training, job readiness programs, ESL and citizenship classes, financial education and coaching, and connections to safe and stable housing. The program will focus on individuals and families who are both unemployed and homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Powerful Voices
ActiveVistas
Provide a 12-week employment program to prepare low-income girls of color, ages 14 to 18, to utilize technology as a civic engagement tool. Participants work with mentors to develop multimedia presentations on social justice topics impacting their lives and neighborhoods and present them at the Girlvolution Conference.
Type: Civic Engagement
SightConnection
Get Connected Assistive Technology Program
Help older adults with vision loss become more independent and healthy overall by improving their proficiency with assistive technology in a hands-on learning lab.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Southeast Seattle Senior Center
Bridging the Senior Divide
Upgrade the computer lab in the Senior Center to provide computer literacy training for ethnically diverse seniors in Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
The Jefferson Terrace Computer Lab Committee / Seattle Housing Authority
Clicking: "A Way to Connect with Digital Learning"
Provide open lab time for the low income residents of Jefferson Terrace and offer basic and intermediate computer instruction in multiple languages. Funds will add digital media class instruction for photography and video.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Umoja PEACE Center
Umoja Transmedia Development Lab
Provide valuable access to digital content creation equipment including hardware and software, training and workshops for young people and community members to develop media production skills.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help
Tech Workshops for Immigrant/Refugee entrepreneurs
Purchase equipment and provide technology literacy trainings for low income entrepreneurs in Spanish, English and East African languages.
Type: Technology Literacy and Access
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013
Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore
Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle
Proposal to be sent to voters in November
Seattle - City Council voted on legislation today to restore public financing for local elections. Seattle was the first municipality in the country to introduce public financing, also called "voter-owned elections," in 1979, but has not had an operating program since 1992. The proposal will now be sent to Seattle voters on the November ballot.
Public financing is a system in which qualifying campaigns are funded in part with public dollars in order to increase the number of candidates running for office and increase the role of small donors in the electoral process. The Council's public financing proposal would only apply to City Council races and would be instituted in the 2015 elections.
"I'm looking forward to the robust debate about the role of money in politics in the months ahead," said Councilmember Mike O'Brien.
To opt into the program, candidates must first qualify by collecting contributions of $10 or more from at least 600 Seattle residents. Once qualified, donations up to $50 would be matched six-to-one on the first $35,000 raised. Candidates who fully utilize the matching system would receive $210,000 in public funds throughout the entire campaign, split between the primary and general elections. Voters would be asked to approve a 6-year, $9 million property tax levy to finance the program, which would cost an estimated $2 million per year, or about $5.76 for a home valued at $350,000. Candidates would have the option to run for office without participating in the public financing program.
In December 2012, Councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Nick Licata, Mike O'Brien and Tom Rasmussen sent a letter to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) asking the body to recommend a public financing model that meets three goals: (1) increases electoral competitiveness, (2) reduces financial barriers to entry for candidates and (3) increases the role and emphasis of small donors in the electoral process. In March, the SEEC delivered its recommendations to Council for consideration, over which the City Council's Public Campaign Finance Committee has been deliberating since April.
Seattle had partial public financing of campaigns in 1979 and 1981, and from 1987-1991. In 1992, state Initiative 134 passed, prohibiting public financing. In 2008 the State legislature adopted legislation allowing local jurisdictions to establish programs to publicly finance campaigns, if approved by a public vote, and the funding is derived from local sources only.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Seattle City Council Confirms Pierce Murphy
Murphy to serve as new Director of the Office of Professional Accountability
Seattle - City Council unanimously confirmed Pierce Murphy ...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/17/2013
Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
City Council Adopts Bold Climate Action Plan
Plan provides pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050
Seattle - Seattle City Council voted unanimously to adopt Seattle's Climate Action Plan (Resolution 31447) today. The Climate Action Plan is composed of recommended actions to be taken to meet Seattle's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
The Seattle Climate Action Plan is the result of a three year collaborative effort between the City and community to produce a blueprint for a prosperous and climate-friendly city. "With this bold plan to reduce our carbon emissions now in place, we must now get to work on implementing the actions called for in the plan," said City Councilmember Mike O'Brien. "In the Energy & Environment Committee, we will begin exploring how to make energy use more visible to consumers and developing the tools we need to improve Seattle's home and building energy performance."
The Climate Action Plan includes specific short- and long-term actions the City needs to meet its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. For example, the transportation sector accounts for 40% of Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions, but the biggest challenge Seattle faces to reducing emissions in this sector is funding. The plan calls for new funding sources like extending the Bridging the Gap levy and securing local authority for a motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) to help improve bus service and reliability, invest in improvements that make it easier and safer to walk or bike and take steps to build out the region's light rail system. The plan also calls for supporting the adoption of low carbon vehicles and fuels.
In the building energy section, the Plan calls for accelerating Seattle's already strong conservation work by enhancing the tracking of utility use, providing better energy performance information to building owners and users, and generally help to improve the public's understanding and manage their energy consumption. Additionally, the Plan calls for getting the right mix of policies and incentives to spur retrofitting in Seattle's housing stock and commercial buildings.
"Making Seattle carbon neutral is an audacious goal that takes time, hard work, creativity and the commitment of the City, business community and Seattle residents," said City Councilmember Richard Conlin. "We have laid out the path to meet this preeminent moral challenge of our time and we will lead the way to secure the future for generations to come."
"We must ready the city's infrastructure for climate change meanwhile leading in reducing carbon emissions," said City Councilmember Jean Godden. "Recycling and composting, as well as preparing for more intense rainstorm episodes with green stormwater infrastructure, are the first steps my committee will take."
"This policy document sets very ambitious environmental goals to stride towards, 62% and 91% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and 2050 in the vehicle and building energy sectors. At each step, our strategies to reach these targets must go through the lens of the Race and Social Justice Initiative. In order to get residents and businesses to support climate action and include it as a part of their lives, we must be inclusive in our education and outreach with all communities," said City Councilmember Bruce Harrell.
"While I'm pleased that Council adopted the Plan today, we know the real work is just beginning," said Jill Simmons, Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment.
The Plan focuses on three sectors where the City of Seattle can have the greatest influence in reducing carbon emissions: transportation and land use, building energy and solid waste. The Plan also includes a section outlining how the City should prepare for the impacts of climate disruption we expect to occur, as well a section on actions individuals can take to reduce emissions through purchasing decisions.
The Climate Action Plan can be viewed online at: http://www.seattle.gov/environment/climate_plan.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/10/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Seattle City Council Passes Job Assistance Bill
Legislation to increase public safety and improve access to jobs
Seattle - Seattle City Council unanimously passed the Job Assistance ...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/5/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Public Safety Committee Passes Job Assistance Bill
Seattle - Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council’s Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee, announced a vote of 5-0 (1-abstention) on the Job Assistance bill during today’s Committee meeting.
Council Bill 117796 is critical legislation to increase public safety and reduce criminal recidivism by providing job assistance to formerly incarcerated individuals. The committee has worked collaboratively with businesses, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and social justice organizations to achieve this groundbreaking legislation.
"We have listened to the concerns of the small business employer, large businesses and the approximately 100,000 people in our city with records to create legislation that strengthens public safety and improves the employment process," said Harrell. "The purpose of this legislation is to make Seattle a safer place; a place where we can expect a certain quality of life and feel safe at all times. That is why we made sure that it will not jeopardize any of the safeguards we currently have in place that protect us from violent criminals, dishonesty or unsafe employees," Harrell added.
The bill is scheduled for a Full Council vote on Monday, June 10, 2013.
"What is important to understand is how this legislation will reduce criminal recidivism and why it is critical for all of us to improve the re-entry experience for those who have committed crimes and are rehabilitated. Not only are they the beneficiaries, but so are we." Harrell concluded: "It is essential for the City to improve the re-entry experience for those who have committed crimes; data shows that despair and unemployment increases the likelihood of relapse into crime. The cycle needs to be broken."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/4/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Councilmember Bruce Harrell Introduces New Beacon Hill Broadband Pilot Project
Seattle - The Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee will host a working disc...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/30/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
EVENT DATE
June 4, 2013
5:30 p.m.
Councilmembers Harrell and Rasmussen call second community meeting on honorary street naming to recognize Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney
SEATTLE - Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Tom Rasmussen announced the second public meeting to hear public feedback on plans for an 'honorary" street naming of sections of 19th Avenue after Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney. The legal name of 19th Avenue would not change nor would the official addresses on the street. The honorary name change would designate the secondary name for 19th Avenue between E. Union St. and E. Republican St. as 'Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Avenue."
Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee stated, 'I am very pleased to listen to members of the community who began the dialogue about honoring Rev. Dr. McKinney. For over 40 years, he has been a civil rights leader, as well as a minister who has positively influenced all of Seattle. Rev. McKinney has been the conscience of our city and has made a lasting mark on race and social justice issues. Rev. McKinney and his late wife, Louise, have made a lasting impact on 19th Avenue in Seattle and beyond."
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the Council's Transportation Committee, stated, 'Seattle should honor Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney, and I support Councilmember Bruce Harrell's proposal for the honorary designation of 'Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Avenue' on 19th Avenue between E. Union and E. Republican Streets."
Councilmember Rasmussen continued, 'Rev. Dr. McKinney has dedicated his life to his church and community. He is a man of many achievements, serving as one of the original members of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, lecturing and teaching at colleges around the nation and opening a church-run Credit Union which strived to assist community members who were unable to open bank accounts and conduct financial transactions in traditional banks. I hope to see his legacy live on through the years."
The second community meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.
WHAT: Community Meeting on Honorary Street Naming of 19th Avenue
WHEN: Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Ave. Seattle, WA 98122
WHO: Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen